Biography: Toni Johnson Mendina
Fine artist Toni Johnson Mendina grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and demonstrated a love of drawing from an early age. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, majoring in Illustration and Graphic Design. Throughout college and during her employment as a Graphic designer, she developed a freelance art business, working with many clients throughout the United States. In 1994, she moved to the Iron Mountain area and pursued her freelance business full-time. But after 20 years of doing art for others, she decided she needed a change of direction- and began to create art for herself.
Because of it’s portability and uncomplicatedness, Mendina’s favorite medium is colored pencil. It is also the perfect medium to showcase her technical abilities. The depth and richness to her pieces causes many to mistake her colored pencil drawings for paintings. She has received numerous awards in regional and national competitions.
Artist Statement:
I’ve always been into details- it has to do with my personality. The realistic style of my art communicates this. When I begin a new piece of artwork, I see it already completed in my mind. Like an architect and a set of plans, I wouldn’t attempt to construct a colored pencil drawing without a clear idea of what I want to achieve.
I also love to play with composition. The need to show my variety of subject matter in an interesting and clever way is both challenging and rewarding for me.